The Virginia Sportsman A State of Mind A Way of Life Fall 2016A $6.95 V S Fishing Cuban Waters U.S. $6.95 Fall 2016 The Trans-Atlantic Race Doves in Cordoba Twilight Polo The Fox Hound Performance Trail Cheekwood Botanical Garden Southern City Film Festival James River Cellars Winery 4 VAS Fall 2016 Chesapeake Bay Waterfront Properties 4421 Black Stump Road Weems, VA 95 Hazzard Lane Lancaster, VA 87 Eagles Point Road Lancaster, VA First offering on this lovely coastal home with 3 Stunning historic home built by famed boat builder First offering on this dramatic architecturally bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths in the main house and a 750 John Hazzard in 1901 with major recent renovations. designed home with contemporary flair and south- sq. ft. detached guest house w/ living room, kitchen, Spectacular 270 degree water views from this 7.61 ern exposure. Quality throughout and in pristine bedroom and bath. There is a 2 car attached garage acre parcel which features 1,770 feet of waterfront and condition! The exterior is maintenance free cedar plus a 3 bay detached garage and workshop. This 5+ feet of water depth. Gourmet kitchen w/ 48 inch impressions with a stone foundation and blue stone property extends from Moran Creek (447 feet stainless steel gas range, hood, granite counter tops, & walkway. The two acre site is professionally land- waterfront), with its protected waters, to the kitchen bar. Lovely sunroom off the kitchen w/ gas scaped with a irrigation system. Upon entering you Corrotoman River (176 feet waterfront) with a f/p and sweeping creek views. Wrap around screen will immediately see views of the river from the SAND BEACH making it a truly unique property. porch. The first floor master bedroom suite boasts a large open living room which is light filled with a The great room with vaulted ceiling, a sunroom with large master bath, walk-in closet, French doors, pri- vaulted ceiling and a beautiful stone fireplace.The walls of glass, a large open family style kitchen and vate deck & salon sitting area. Water views from every gourmet kitchen is open to the gathering room with breakfast room all offer beautiiful views and natural room. The 24 x 36 garage/workshop is detached and its fireplace and views of the Corrotoman River. breezes from Moran Creek. The master bedroom is offers great work space w/Man Cave above. Two Only steps away is the screened porch overlooking located on the first level also offering lovely views. piers on the property. Waterfront office at the foot of the heated pool. Other amenities include a generator Heated swimming pool. The pier with a lift on the pier. NNAR MLS # 98226 $998,500 and pier with deep water and two boat lifts plus a rip Moran Creek has 4 ft MLW. A future pier on the rapped shoreline. NNAR MLS # 97886 $1,450,000 Corrotoman would offer a sailor 10 feet MLW. A must to see! NNAR MLS # 97881 $1,375,000. Bo Bragg (804) 436-7337 [email protected] Barbara Bragg (804) 436-6787 [email protected] 5 VAS Fall 2016 CONTENTS 7 Twilight Polo and Virginia Wine Story by John Shtogren 14 Fishing Cuba Story by Kristen Tripp Photos by Jim Klug 20 Spectacular Ocean Racing Story by Louay Habib 26 The Eared Doves of Cordoba Story by Laurie Bogart Wiles 31 Anthony I. Matarese Jr.: A Sporting Clays Prodigy Story and Photos by Joe Shields 35 Hounds, Hounds and More Hounds Story and Photos by Carol Lueder 39 Snapshots for Straight Shooting by Henry Baskerville 40 Boyd Bragg: Virginia’s Junior Star Sailor Story by Joe Shields 44 Cheekwood: Botanical Garden and Museum of Art Story by Keith Tomlinson 48 Book Review: The Cubans by Jay Seldin King Montgomery 52 Fall Outdoor Report with Jim Brewer 53 Off Topic: Southern Art Rising Story by Barclay Rives 57 American Wild Life: Houseguests From Hell Charlotte Reather Illustrations by Olivia Doull 59 A Country Gent’s Note: Family Matters Barclay Rives 61 Wine: James River Cellars Winery John Shtogren 64 Food: Cast-Iron Cooking Claiborne Williams Milde 66 Humor: The Curse of Boat Motors Jim Brewer Cover Photo: Havana, Cuba, by Jim Klug, YellowDog Flyfishing Adventures STAFF: Publisher Virginia Outdoor Media, LLC, Editor John Shtogren, Copy Editor Dail Willis, Equine Advisor Jane Porter Fogleman, Advertising Anne W. Coles, Wendy Jensen, Anita Vere-Nicoll, Michelle Scott, Jill Kavanagh, Darin Strickland, Mary Tinsley, Copy Reader Dail Willis, Design Hay Hardy, Cartoonist Jerry King, Subscription: $25 per year, $45 for 2 years or $65 for 3 years. Online at www.VaSportsman.com or email [email protected]. Mail to: The Virginia Sportsman, P. O. Box 8376, Charlottesville, VA 22906; or call (434) 971-1199 or (800) 734-2980. Advertising Information: Visit www.VaSportsman.com, email [email protected]. Call (434) 971-1199 or (800) 734-2980. 6 VAS Fall 2016 TWILIGHT POLO and VIRGINIA WINE In the Heart of Horse Country Story by John Shtogren Photos Courtesy of Greenhill Winery and Vineyard A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou beside me —watching a polo match at twilight time. There is just something that feels so right about a summer evening, a chilled bottle of wine, a picnic basket full of goodies, muffled hoofbeats and the “thwock” of a polo mallet striking the ball. Every Saturday evening from mid-May through mid-September, 2,000 or more spectators who feel much the same way pull through the gates at the Great Meadow equestrian grounds in Plains, Virginia, an hour west of Washington, D.C. At 6 p.m., the ball is tossed to the players for the first chukker of Twilight Polo. 7 VAS Fall 2016 by 160 yards, three football fields long by one-and-a half wide. Even the best vantage point leaves spectators at least 150 yards from the action—field glasses are a must. By contrast, arena polo is played in an enclosed area a mere 300 by 150 feet, with only a narrow four-foot wall separating the riders and ponies from the gallery. Arena polo is fan-friendly, up close and personal. At Twilight Polo there are four matches with four chukkers, or periods, in each. Each chukker lasts seven and a half minutes with a short break in between for The Old Guard from the U.S. riders to switch to fresh ponies. In arena Army 3rd Infantry Regiment polo, there are three riders on a team opens the event. rather than four, which is all the enclosure can safely accommodate. As the evening It’s not a stretch to refer to Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat when talking about polo goes on, the play becomes more and more and wine. The first recorded polo match was in 600 B.C. when the Turkomans beat the intense since the more novice players Persians. By the time Khayyam, a Persian, wrote his wine-laden verse 1,600 years later, compete in the earlier matches. polo had spread across the Eastern world. By the Middle Ages it was the national The rules of play are much the pastime from Constantinople to Japan. It is the world’s oldest team sport, and wine may same for both forms of polo: Hit the ball well be its oldest beverage. through the goal posts but be careful while you do it. The rules are primarily for the Arena Polo safety of horse and rider. For example, a On Saturday nights at Great Meadow they play arena polo, a scaled-down rider in control of the ball has the right-of- version of regular polo. A standard polo field is a full 10 acres and measures 300 yards way and another rider cannot recklessly Breaking for the goal! 9 VAS Fall 2016 cut across his path to push him off course. For the safety of the pony, a rider cannot position his mount to block an opponent’s shot with its body. Violate such rules and the referee will ride up, blow his whistle and award a penalty shot, not unlike what is done in soccer when a violation occurs. Polo ponies can be of any breed but they need certain qualities to play well in the arena. Since the arena is relatively small, the pony must be able to accelerate quickly as it drives for the goal. Just as importantly the pony has to be able to stop on a dime because there is a solid wall behind the goal. In arena polo, the ponies go from full tilt to full stop in a matter of a few strides. (On the big, open field, the ponies often race through the open goal and decelerate at an even pace.) Maneuverability and a willing- ness to work in close quarters are also requisite qualities. Although the rules discourage unsafe actions, arena polo can easily become a contact sport as riders and ponies vie for the ball. Arena polo is more of an every- man’s sport than regular polo since the economics are very different. Membership David Greenhill plays with passion. in a full-field polo club can be costly since maintaining a 10-acre grass field is no Flying for the goal with all four hooves in the air! mean feat. Not only is the arena a fraction of a polo field, but its sand floor is easy to care for. Since an arena match is shorter, it can be played with only two ponies. One plays a chukker while the other rests and then they switch. By contrast, regular polo’s longer match time and distances call for as many as eight ponies per rider.